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Valley Spirit: February 27, 1861 Go To Page : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

Inauguration of Hon. Jeff Davis
(Column 1)

Summary: Reports the inaugural of Jefferson Davis and includes a transcript of his speech.

Democratic State Convention
(Column 3)

Summary: Minutes of the Democratic State Convention. State Democrats continue to blame Northern Republicans for creating the conditions which are compelling the Southern States to secede.
(Names in announcement: George Brewer, Judge Nill)

God Save our Noble Union
(Column 3)

Summary: Pro-Union poem.

News of the Week
(Column 1)

Summary: Contains several items of national news, particularly news regarding the secession crisis.

McClure on Personal Liberty Bills
(Column 2)

Summary: Accuses McClure of wavering between support for and opposition to Personal Liberty Bills, which have the effect of countering the Federal Fugitive Slave Laws.
(Names in announcement: Col. A.K. McClure)

Lincoln's Regime
(Column 4)

Summary: Reports an alleged conspiracy to prevent the President's inauguration and the precautions taken to avoid such a calamity.

What a Rail-Splitter Eats
(Column 5)

Summary: Ridicules the presentation of Lincoln as a plain man of humble beginnings. The article implies that Lincoln has expensive tastes.

The Peace Congress
(Column 6)

Summary: Reports that the Peace Conference has made an important step toward peace with a resolution presented by Mr. Franklin of Pennsylvania.

Nobody Hurt
(Column 6)

Summary: Criticizes Lincoln as the cause of the sectional crisis.

A Thrilling Narrative
(Column 6)

Summary: Alleges atrocities committed by Indians in Texas on some settlers there.

Tribute of Respect
(Column 1)

Summary: Reports the death of Leonard Avey of the Chambersburg Artillery.
(Names in announcement: Leonard Avey)

Legislative Bribery in New York
(Column 2)

Summary: Reports a charge of bribery against Assemblyman Jay Gibbons of New York.

Origin of Article: Albany Evening Journal

What Mr. Lincoln is Going to Do
(Column 2)

Summary: Asserts that Lincoln will protect the forts and property of the Union within the borders of the Confederacy with as much force as is necessary.

Origin of Article: Springfield (IL) Cor. Boston Advo.

The National Crisis
(Column 3)

Summary: Series of items relating to the secession crisis including reports on the new Southern Confederacy, news from Charleston, proceedings of the Peace Conference, etc.

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married February 19th.
(Names in announcement: Rev. Samuel Philips, Ezra Austin, Annie Stouffer)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married on February 21 at the German Reformed Parsonage.
(Names in announcement: Rev. Samuel Philips, John Grove, Martha Senseny)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married on February 18th at the Pleasant Retreat Parsonage, near Chambersburg.
(Names in announcement: Rev. James Bishop, Daniel Fraker, Sarah Stumbaugh)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married on January 1st.
(Names in announcement: Rev. T. McNeil, S. Gilbert, Mary Harman)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Mary Trout was married to William McKinney on February 21.
(Names in announcement: Rev. Thomas Creigh, William McKinney, Mary Trout, David Trout)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married on February 14th.
(Names in announcement: Rev. John Ault, John Rider, Mary Smith)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married on February 21th.
(Names in announcement: Rev. John Ault, Samuel Beam, Ephia Kieffer)

Married
(Column 4)

Summary: Married on February 21th.
(Names in announcement: Rev. S. McHenry, Phillip Summer, Elmira Cook)

An Abolition Despotism to be Established by the Sword
(Column 1)

Summary: Accuses Lincoln of pursuing a war policy and indicates that violent opposition to civil war will spring up in the North.

Full Text of Article:

The bill of Mr. Stanton, of Ohio, authorizing the President to accept the services of volunteers, is but a part of the war policy which the Republican party is pursuing. The design is to invest the incoming Administration with every function and attribute of military power, so that the anti-slavery programme may carve its way and enforce its triumph by the sword. Despotism has been defined--a union of the purse and sword. As if to effectuate this definition in the person of Mr. Lincoln, the Black Republicans are engaged in hurrying money and force bills through Congress. If they succeed, when Mr. Lincoln comes into power, he will, through a superserviceable Congress, find himself ready to begin his projected war, that is if he can raise the troops and the money voted. Fortunately, curses cling to sin, and often paralyze it in its hour of anticipated triumph. To vote money is one thing--to raise it another. We have abundant reason to suppose that capitalists will refuse money which is designed to be used in the prosecution of a civil war. As for volunteers, there will be few, we opined for such service. Volunteers have to be paid as well as regulars, and without money they cannot be paid. They may be promised plunder, but they will have to fight hard for all the plunder they get in the South. There are few large cities there to be sacked. Besides, such as they are will have to be captured before they can be pillaged. Houses may be burned and fields may be laid waste--but negroes, although property there, would, if carried off, be unproductive here. The volunteer would get a plenty of bullets but find scarcity of plunder. They would, in the language of Mr. Corwin, be 'welcomed with bloody hands to hospitable graves.' But is it not unlikely that they would have to do some fighting here before marching South. The generous and gallant old tar, Commodore Stockton, is reported to have said in his speech before the Peace Conference, that--'for every regiment that would be raised in the North to coerce the South, another would spring up in the same North to oppose the first.' This sentiment of the noble Commodore is fast becoming the popular sentiment here, for all patriots and all reflecting men are convinced that a Black Republican sectional war will forever destroy the Union and place it beyond the possibility of re-constructing, and they regard with horror and will oppose to the last the reckless men who would inaugurate such a war.

To see with what horror those movements in Congress, that even squint at such a war, are regarded by all save the blind and infatuated Republicans, we have only to glance at the debate that took place on Tuesday on Mr. Stanton's bill.

Said Mr. John Cochrane, of New York--'Pass this bill when you may, it will indeed be the mourning hour for the country.'

Mr. Burnett, of Kentucky, said--'You are attempting to involve the country in war.'

Mr. Boteler, of Virginia, said--'There is no more efficient mode to break up the Union'

Mr. Cox, Ohio, said--'While the Peace Congress is here, I regard this as a disunion measure.'

Mr. Sickles, of New York, said--'The people of the North will regard this measure as substituting coercion for justice, and the abandonment of conciliation for war.'

The Republicans are seemingly acting with steady and consistent reference to the permanent dissolution of the Union. The border slave States make the preservation of the public peace and the careful abstinence from all measures tending to bring on collision the condition of their remaining in the Union long enough to test the willingness of the free States to render them a constitutional adjustment; and the Republicans, in utter disregard of that condition, and of the obvious and inevitable consequences of such conduct, are, with unexampled energy and despatch [sic], hurrying war bills through Congress.--Their policy seems to be to make war in order to create peace, a paradox as senseless as it is dangerous. They seem to be endeavoring to drive the border States from all conference by outing off all hope of agreement, and act really as if their object was not to arrest, but to promote secession; not to save, but to destroy the Union; not to give the blessings of peace, but the curses of war.

Having driven off seven States, they are endeavoring to drive off eight more, and then after driving them off they are resolved to crush them under the armed heels of their Abolition soldiers. They ask the Northern Democrats and conservatives to unite with them in this, so as to make the whole North an Abolition unit. They impudently ask men, who have always voted against them, to fight for them and thus establish, what to them is of all things the most abhorrent, an Abolition despotism.